How ATS has changed over 13+ years

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

If we see people complaining about other people being banned because they are from the left or the right political side of things, because they are
pro or against same sex marriage, because they pro or against whatever, that only means that there isn't any real bias behind the reasons for the
bans.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

I'm baffled by this. Can you elaborate?
I thought there was more than one person here wielding the ban hammer? So are you saying that all decisions on banning are made by one person?

If not, how do you assert when someone has or has not been banned by a mod who has a personal gripe or disagreement with the poster and their
political, religious or other views?

The following is my opinion as a member participating in this discussion.

As for me, I only joined up in June of 2006, so that sorta makes me a new guy for some in this thread. Maybe one of these days I will make an intro
thread. But even in my scant nearly 7 years here there have been changes. Some bad, some neutral and some good.

Bad. The original star rating system in which a post could be rated from 1-5 stars and you had an average which was your star rating. Sounded
good, but there was an exploit to the simple average known as the one star bandit in which people that did not like you would go through your old post
and drop a one star on everything out of spite. No one particularly cared what I had to say except when I said something funny so I had a rating of
4.8 when it ended if I remember correctly. Again, not because I was well liked and had billions of stars, I probably only had 150 to be honest as it
took nearly three years to have my first 1000 posts.

Neutral. Gold, Silver and Bronze Contributor levels. We still have them and they are calculated differently now. But originally they had more
than just bling to them as there was the happy prospect of not loading the ads if you were at least a legitimate Bronze level. For me, that lasted all
of two weeks of ad-free viewing before being made a moderator, which meant viewing all the ads again. Why? Because the staff needs to know what people
were talking about when a particular ad was causing problems...like that smiley ad that would scream "Hello" if your mouse was within five inches of
the ad and would scare the crap out of you as you viewed the pages at 3 am as most of us did.

Good. Significant changes to the site itself and how it is experienced. A good example would be the Survival Forum. When I joined, it did not
exist and in fact there were a few threads that I had bookmarked in order to visit and keep track of until the forum was created. Today, there is a
two hour weekly live show dedicated to the topic with people very knowledgable on the subject and various facets of the topic.

I think that often times we all like to think that "this would be a perfect world if everyone thought like me." I admit that I have entertained that
thought a time or two

But the reality is that what makes the world interesting and diverse is that we all have different thoughts and means of
expressing them. In my adult life, most of my reading has been either non-fiction or comedy (which is technically non-fiction as well). So if everyone
thought as I did, there would be no Stephen King novels, Tolkien (which I have read) nor even Orwell (despite that his works were at best political
allegories and might sadly be considered non-fiction in the very near future). And yes, I have read Orwell and quote Animal Farm far more than 1984.

As for ATS, there is always room for change and improvement. Not every change will be good just as not every change will be bad. Are there trends and
even forums that I think should go? Sure. Should they? Nope, see the the above paragraph as to why they should stay. That and I think of the band
Nirvana, when they came out I didn't care for them. Now I dig them...go figure.

But suffice it to say, the moment that ATS is "perfect" will be the exact moment when it is no longer relevant. Hopefully that will be a day that
never comes.

As an ATS Staff Member, I will not moderate in threads such as this where I have participated as a member.

S&F for an interesting topic. I haven't been at ATS long, but consider how the world & the Internet has changed in the last 13 years.

Thirteen years ago, the general quality of the people on the Net was higher. By that I mean, people were better educated, older, and more serious.

Now that everyone and his dog has access to the Net, the general quality of the conversations have gone downhill. Some posts read like they were
written by 12 year olds (and probably were). I wouldn't be surprised if Snooki is an ATS member.

The Net has changed drastically in the last 20 years -- the Net before the corporations took over.

Thirteen years ago was before 9/11. Almost everything is under surveillance now and it will only get worse.

Mods shape the threads too. Certain topics are verboten here. You can see one post X-ed out and another more offensive one left standing. Certain Mods
do not like certain members and that member's posts are targeted by that Mod. Active threads are closed for no apparent reason. High profile members
are banned for mysterious reasons.

Having said that, I do come here to look at the headlines. There are also some very bright, well-educated people here who are worth reading. Then
there are the Archives.

You can see one post X-ed out and another more offensive one left standing.

Again, Terms and Conditions, but also we rely on members to alert violations as we cannot read every single post.

Certain Mods do not like certain members and that member's posts are targeted by that Mod.

True that some mods do not like some members just as some people do not like some people, however no moderator will target those they dislike because
they would no longer be a moderator. In fact, we recuse ourselves from members that we have a personal beef with or there is perceived beef by that
member.

Active threads are closed for no apparent reason.

Terms and Conditions, but sometimes there are questions amongst the staff that a thread is closed to pause it for deeper discussion and sometimes just
to give the members a "cooling off" period if a thread becomes heated so as not to have to heavily action many members...a trolling thread would be
a good example of that.

High profile members are banned for mysterious reasons.

Nothing mysterious about the Terms and Conditions. Grievously violate them and the member will be banned. Often times high profile members think
themselves to be above them. Not even the owners are above the T&C's and have had threads removed that violated them.

Having said that, I do come here to look at the headlines. There are also some very bright, well-educated people here who are worth reading.
Then there are the Archives.

I hope you realize that in addressing the above that the goal was to clear up misconceptions. For my first six months I read old threads and some were
mega threads. In fact the only reason I joined in the first place was due to the T&C's being followed and that the staff didn't act as though they
were above the membership. I had been on many forums in the past where that was the case and had not intention of joining another one that was like
that. In fact, I only found ATS because I wanted to run a roleplaying game using the JFK assassination as the backdrop and wanted to place conspiracy
theory angles in the game such as the players seeing puffs of smoke from the grassy knoll and other minor details. Oddly enough the level of details
that I was looking for wouldn't come to ATS until years later via Rising Against's threads on JFK and RFK. But until then I had years of education
and entertainment from the various members and topics that I would have otherwise missed had I not been here.

I have lurked here since after 9-11. I think what you are experiencing is internet forum infiltration from a variety of sources. Sock puppets,
disinfo agents, and the like. I have seen it on other forums as well. You have gatekeepers and others who try to mold or divert discussion of
certain topics. Welcome to the surveillance state.

This post is exactly one of the reason why ATS has gone downhill. If someone takes the other side they are automatically a disinfo agent, sock
puppet, etc.

The intelligent debate has gone out the door. It isn't even worth responding if you disagree with posts anymore, because your post will be ignored
or ,as the poster I have quoted, you will be labeled a disinfo agent.

I have had many intelligent debates with posters here years ago when I first joined, but now it seems like people just rush to start threads and claim
conspiracy on anything that happens and then the people just all agree with the thread starter.

I've been called a disinfo agent for many years, just because I disagree with 90% of the conspiracies posted here. When you are called something you
are not, it really makes the accuser look foolish.

I believe ATS is pretty much done. It is sad, because it was a very enjoyable site, but any idiot can start a thread now and there are far too many
idiots that will cheer that thread on, keeping the thread on the front page. I am sure a lot of intelligent, really thought out threads get buried
behind these crappy ones.

Seriously, some artificial intelligence is needed to filter out dumb and pointless comments and threads. To be clear, I'm not talking about censoring,
but having a individual/personal interest profile that would filter to each person's preferences.

If in anyway this were possible, this would be the best site ever. Honestly, the owner of this site needs to work on this.

One more thing that would make this site better. Mods should close threads when the OP is obviously wrong or is factually incorrect.

For example, the FBI photo shopping thread, that is obviously two difference screen grabs from a video, not the same picture that the OP is claiming.
It is point out numerous times on that thread, yet the thread goes on with people agreeing.

The motto of this site is Deny Ignorance. Well, how ignorant is it for people to keep posting on a thread based on something that isn't
correct.

People haven't changed. People are people, and have always been people. What has changed is who has access to the internet.

13 years ago it was VERY new still, and the average user was either of a more scientific mindset (the techno nerds of the day), or an AOL member. The
former lamented the advent of the latter to no end, fearing that the internet would become what it has actually become: combative and argumentative.

Seriously, some artificial intelligence is needed to filter out dumb and pointless comments and threads. To be clear, I'm not talking about censoring,
but having a individual/personal interest profile that would filter to each person's preferences.

If in anyway this were possible, this would be the best site ever. Honestly, the owner of this site needs to work on this.

One more thing that would make this site better. Mods should close threads when the OP is obviously wrong or is factually incorrect.

For example, the FBI photo shopping thread, that is obviously two difference screen grabs from a video, not the same picture that the OP is claiming.
It is point out numerous times on that thread, yet the thread goes on with people agreeing.

The motto of this site is Deny Ignorance. Well, how ignorant is it for people to keep posting on a thread based on something that isn't
correct.

edit on 21-4-2013 by tide88 because: added

I was a lurker back in 2006, and joined in 2007...my pet peeve is when a thread is created, it is based on an out and out lie, where the "source" gets
it completely wrong. then, others that have the same way of thinking, will flood the thread and blindly except it, without taking the 1 or 2 minutes
of fact-checking to completely debunk it. that's where I get in trouble, I try and be clever (in my own mind anyway) to point out the falsehood, but
i'm completely ignored, and it just runs on and on feeding on the lie, that's when I start questioning the IQ and sanity of the responders with
hyperbolic insults (hence, post bans). the opening thread post, that takes a minute or two to debunk, have become so numerous, that now, I don't even
check the source, I start with the opinion that the OP is lying

The internet is similar to life . Sometimes it good, sometimes its awful but you just roll with it. You can find what you're looking for
eventually.

Don't forget there are thousands upon thousands that come here daily, both lurkers and members. I joined in 2010, lurked for 5 years prior and this
is the first time that Ive signed in in half of a year. Sometimes it does seem like the fax news alarmist crowd gets too rowdy but whatevs, its the
internet. When important events are set into motion, I believe that we will see the best side of ATS again.

Hi Ive been around here since the Y2K scare and I know exactly what you are saying.
Some people here do seem to be very rigid and narrow minded.

The most notable thing is; the collective thinking here can be so negative.Seems some members are just sitting at their computer desk waiting for
doomsday.

Seems some individuals only get pleasure from insulting, arguing and disrespecting other members.
So sad. This is Very Unproductive to what our life's mission should be.

Our Earth is such a beautiful and magical place.
Do those who attempt to predict "the end of the world" think they are going to log-in to ATS the Day-after and receive kudos from other members for
predicting a world that is gone?

Sorry folks thats is not going to happen because We wont be here. Yes it makes us older members very cynical.
Such a contrary satisfaction and an example of the wide-spread negativity we face in 2013.
Oh how things have changed since 1999.
ATS is very informative but some of the negative souls here are doing nothing to make their World a better place to live.
It is great to see ATS still here after all these years.
God Bless

I have lurked here since after 9-11. I think what you are experiencing is internet forum infiltration from a variety of sources. Sock puppets,
disinfo agents, and the like. I have seen it on other forums as well. You have gatekeepers and others who try to mold or divert discussion of
certain topics. Welcome to the surveillance state.

One of the best and most accurate posts I have ever seen about the contrived dynamics on this site, IMHO. (and I mean contrived by certain posters,
not the mods or ATS itself)

The problem with ATS is half the site is actual crap which will never be proved by the supports being as it's a way for people to make mass amounts of
cash while leading gullible people along, why it's allowed to propagate here is crazy seeing as the byline is "deny ignorance"

Originally posted by Helious
I think for me, too many of my friends who offered a truly prolific view of society and culture have been banned for whatever reasons. I see us all as
members who will eventually get banned for honoring what we believe in and speaking our mind when it isn't currently popular with ATS
administration.

Knowing this fact has left me empty for the ATS experience in the long run. I think things change as society does and what happens inside of ATS is
really not that different from the rest of the world. Clicky, cliche type of friends and or groups that struggle with the slight ebb and flow of power
and relevance.

Just know that one day subject matter you feel passionate about will come up and for whatever reason you may not be able to completely express
yourself about it and you will have to either deal with that and move on or face the banhammer. Once you realize that simple fact, ATS is a great
place to hang out.

This is the most true statement of the real feeling, solid STRONG members that did research, made incredible threads and then get banned for no good
reason at all, especially in 2010 onwards.....felt like an attack from the outside, a sudden clean sweep on people that were getting way to good at
exposing real conspiracies.

It was like a 9/11 , false flag attack, where somehow these members were framed and gotten rid of, without explanation of course, it left an empty
hole.

Any reasonable person could see that no T+C infringements had occurred, just sudden action when a member had gone REAL deep and found things that are
not supposed to be known.

It indeed is sad when you can noticeably tell the forum is not for truth alone, but is very controlled, for various reasons of course, but certainly
decisions are made where political stands and soul-searching gets the boot.

But of course just as in real life the deniers of conspiracy rarely get themselves kicked, because they are status-quo with the official stories, and
therefore "safer".

In my opinion ATS is ALMOST exacty as it should be. A conspiracy discussion website. Yes, you have to wade through alot of s**t threads to find the
gold ones and theres always bickering and back and forth arguing going on. I've noticed there are also alot of threads popping up recently that seem
to be members giving their 'opinions' just saying stuff that they think the majority will agree with, hoping it will rake in the stars and flags.
These are things that have played a part in me not visiting ATS nearly as much as i used to.

I dont mind a thread on a subject that has already been covered. This allows newbies to discover conspiracys and facts that they may never have had
the chance to know about if every repeat thread was deleted straight away. I know its not good for mods but i wouldnt know half of what i know now if
members in the past hadnt started a thread that had already been covered in depth by somebody else. As long as people put some effort into what they
are presenting, its all good as far as i'm concerned.

The one thing that i dont understand about ATS - its ok to discuss assasinations of presidents, the end of times, say a country is staging false flag
events and killing their own citizens, but when it comes to a little plant = NO! The line is drawn. We cant discuss nature, and one of the largest
conspiracys out there. I really dont understand this. Could a mod maybe fill me in? I'm not being cheeky or anything, i am legitimaly confused.

I dont know what ATS was like 13 years ago. I've only been about around 4 years but i can tell you that the past couple of years it feels like it has
been over run with teenagers acting like they are posting on Youtube hoping for a freaking 'thumbs up'.

But at the end of the day like i said, this website serves its purpose. It educates open minds. I would much rather put up with everything i've said
that watch MSM.

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